How do you organize your shelves?

have my books divided into catigories (sci-fi, post modern, nonfiction, etc) with one bookshelf for textbooks and paperback (which are all double plus stacked) and then a couple of shelves above my bed for hardcover and what I'm currently reading. Within the catagories I just keep them in order of how much I liked them.

Fiction is alphabetical by Author. Non-fiction is loosely grouped by subject (still easy since I have fewer non-fiction titles). Anthologies are grouped separately.

I tried to have a more...I guess, fractured...system, but I've moved three times in two years, and 200 books just don't travel well. Plus, since I add about 3 to 6 titles each month, I kept running out of room on my shelves, blurring the boundaries between categories.

Someday, though, I'd like to have a special place for signed copies. A glass cabinet, perhaps, or a bank vault. (Ha!)

ive got t-t-t-t-tons of fucking books.

they're mostly scattered about the house- i have a room upstairs for text books- stuff that i use for reference- theyre in the office next to the fifty pound dictionary

then in my room i have my shelves for fiction and random stuff that i like to look through when i cant remember something simple... fiction is grouped by author and genre-

poetry and their authors
short story anthology and their authors
classic authors

then i have another part of my room designated for theology and sciences- mostly forensics, chemistry, A&P, biology, and molecular stuff- thats kinda in the random grouping of the second "need to have on hand" catagory

then i have my magazine/newspaper clippings in files or taped to my walls- depending on how interesting they are.

books on music or regional stuff are on yet another shelf.

if only my music collection were as eclectic as my books

I separate classic lit, lit, short stories; westward expansion, world exploration, other history; mountaineering; PC/Networking; and the *HANDS OFF*section of signed/rare.

My books are everywhere. Looking around my room I have 3 books under my bed, one on my guitar amp, 3 shelfs with random books. Books all over my closet. Books alll over the floor. There are some in the bathroom. Some in my clothes drawers. Shit they are everywhere. The funny thing is I have a slight case of OCD so all my books are in near mint condition and I know where every one is.

Yeah, I've got books everywhere. Closet, armoire (sp?), on top of my desk, under my bed, next to my computer, next to the lamp. When I get my own place I'll prolly organize my books and actually get into book collecting, but I just don't care right now.

The ones I've brought to Hull are arranged by publisher.
The ones at home in Leeds in boxes are arranged by size.
The ones my bf stores for me are probably arranged by publisher and then alphabetically, I don't know. He better be looking after them properly is all I can say.

i have two bookshelves. i keep one with books tat i consider current. as in, books i want to read trhat i haven;t read yet, and books that i consider very close to me.

the other shelf is for other books i value but i am pretty much done with. or reference books

organize?... wh-what is organize?...

By merit.

Auto-biographically, like the guy does with his records in High Fidelity. Actually no, I organize them by author's last name. But serously, how would you catagorize by auto-biography? It doesnt even make sense... I have to watch High Fidelity again.

[QUOTE=sick girl]Auto-biographically, like the guy does with his records in High Fidelity. [/QUOTE]

That would definitely be the coolest way, but you can't do that if you don't remember where and when you got all your books.

So I have mine in some well thought groupings, that doesn't make any sense to anyone else, but helps me to find them fast and easy.

[QUOTE=Kaytie]Fiction is alphabetical by Author. Non-fiction is loosely grouped by subject (still easy since I have fewer non-fiction titles). Anthologies are grouped separately.

I tried to have a more...I guess, fractured...system, but I've moved three times in two years, and 200 books just don't travel well. Plus, since I add about 3 to 6 titles each month, I kept running out of room on my shelves, blurring the boundaries between categories.

Someday, though, I'd like to have a special place for signed copies. A glass cabinet, perhaps, or a bank vault. (Ha!)[/QUOTE]
Like this. ^^

i don't.

I use Heisenberg's uncertainty principle.

[QUOTE=sick girl]Auto-biographically, like the guy does with his records in High Fidelity. Actually no, I organize them by author's last name. But serously, how would you catagorize by auto-biography? It doesnt even make sense... I have to watch High Fidelity again.[/QUOTE]

Have you only seen High Fidelity? You should read it. 10,000 times better than the movie.

Anywho, what I do is first I seperate them into genres. Then I group similar geners together (fiction next to fantasy, fantasy next to mystery...etc.). Then I order them alphabetically by other and then by title. Unless their in a numbered series of course. That way, if you don't know what exactly you want to read, but have some sort of direction, you cand find what type of book you want pretty quickly.

By other I ment author, sorry.

I go for the hippie/psychic method. Whatever kind of vibes I'm getting off the book determines whether it goes on the top shelf, second shelf, etc. If two books aren't feeling comfortable next to each other, I'll move one. It's all about the aesthetics.

I forgot about my car trunk, yeah there's a lot of books in there too

everything I have read is over there~~~>
Everything I haven't read is over here <~~~
user friendly.

One exception. All the cookbooks are close to the kitchen.

carefully and with an eye toward keeping things in order of course.

I believe most of my books are in boxes in my ex-husband's parents' basement. As for the ones that I have here now...they're in no particular order on my bookshelves.

I keep the authors I like close together and the others get separated by size. This allows me to stack smaller books on top (or in the case of my fakakta bookshelf, it's a must b/c the top row can only fit mass market paperbacks).